The Terror Next Door (Based on a True Story)

23)Mommy Dearest

A/N I'm sorry for the awful formatting on this. I'm using an old iPad with an attachable keyboard as my new source of writing. As I try to copy and paste from Microsoft word to here, everything that's neatly formatted becomes spaced out strangely. Anyway, we're at the last few chapters of this story. Thank you all for reading, I honestly never thought this story would be receiving this many reads!

Happy Reading! ***

Mr. and Mrs. Summers didn't take what Alex had to say well. For a few minutes, they thought she was just afraid and projecting her fear onto random theories. But after Sophia pointed out this had been another one of their daughters that had come close to death's cold fingers, they decided to take Alex and Sophia's fear seriously. Soon enough they had had Grandma Summers stay with the little kids while they drove with the older ones back to Schaumburg. No one spoke a word as they drove, everyone was preoccupied by the very idea of what they would find if Alex's hypothesis proved correct. As they pulled into their driveway it was one in the afternoon. No one at the Bradshaw place was home from school or work. Mr. and Mrs. Summers got out of the car, followed by Colin and Alex. Sophia and Annie were told to follow from the back in case they actually found someone in the attic. As Mr. Summers grabbed a crowbar, Mrs. Summers grabbed one as well. Colin got a switchblade and Alex got a tire iron. Sophia didn't grab anything because she knew Blake wouldn't be waiting in the attic. The Summers hadn't been home in days. Blake wouldn't be waiting for them there. 

All the women waited in the garage as only Mr. Summers and Colin went to search. Mrs. Summers waited down below with her weapon and cell phone. There was a long time of searching for Mr. Summers. Sophia eagerly waited in the garage with her mother and sister but she was itching to search the attic for herself. Mr. Summers slowly descended the staircase with Colin ten minutes later, his hand holding onto something dusty as he came down.

"My board," said Alex with wide eyes. The missing murder board had been found. The only notable difference Sophia noticed between the board previously and now was that board had collected heavy dust for its time in the dirty attic. Still, it was the same board Sophia could remember her sister showing their parents weeks earlier. For the longest moments, no one said a word. No one seemed to know what to say. This moment finally proved that someone had indeed been in the attic when Sophia had first suspected it all those months previously.

"I'm sorry we didn't believe you guys," said Mrs. Summers tearfully. She was the first to break the thick silence. Even Mr. Summers looked apologetic. He didn't seem to know what to say as well. It was a well known fact that no one other than he had previously went into the attic. No one else would have found the board and brought it up there. Not unless it was someone not apart of this family...

"We're gonna go to the police station and see if we can get finger prints taken off of this," said Mr. Summers confidently. "The next we're going to see how we can get a restraining order against that kid."

"Hun..." Mr. Summers nodded at his wife as if he seemed to already know what she was going to say next. "We'll stay at my mother's house for now, I'll find a new place to rent. This was the last straw."

***It was pointless bringing the board to the police. They ran fingerprints but the only ones found on it were Alex's and Mr. Summers. Given the board had plastic wrap on it when Alex had first bought it, there wasn't even employee prints from the store she purchased it from. "Not even a partial fingerprint," Sophia panted as she finished her run on the treadmill. Alex was walking beside her on one side, her mother was walking on the other. The family remained at grandma Summers house the last week, only going back to the house to pick up clothes and other essentials. Needing some much needed stress relief, Mrs. Summers had recommended they head to the local YMCA to burn off some steam. Sophia couldn't burn off steam. Her thoughts were still too focused on Blake Bradshaw and how it seemed impossible he would ever pay for his crimes. "He probably wore gloves," said Alex, slowing down her fast paced walk. "That's probably why nothing was pulled from the board."